Northside ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Helotes. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
4 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
Advocates get hired after a meeting goes badly, rarely before the first one, which is why most of them start by reading a file that already carries a year of history in it.
Families in Helotes and Alamo Heights run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Helotes team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
No advocate in this directory lists Helotes as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Based in San Antonio, TX
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
Based in Katy, TX
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
Virtual · based in Leonardtown, MD · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
Douglas Hubscher is the Founder and President of Kids Are First, LLC, a special education advocacy firm dedicated to helping families navigate the IEP and 504 process with confidence, clarity, and…
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
Northside ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Helotes students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Alamo Heights and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The clock that matters starts when you sign consent. In Texas it runs 45 school days.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Helotes school counts as writing.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Helotes. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Northside ISD is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Helotes cases, so read the service area on each of the 4 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Northside ISD meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Helotes, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Helotes, Texas?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Who runs special education for Helotes schools?
Northside ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Helotes students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Do I have to use an advocate from my own town?
Every card on this page names the city the advocate works from. Advocates listed under the virtual heading live somewhere else and work with families here by video or phone.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
Yes, and the rules differ slightly. Section 504 does not spell out who may attend the way IDEA does, so ask the school in writing before the meeting and keep the answer.
What should a records request say?
A district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules, and it is usually faster than waiting for a copy set.
Official Texas links for parents in Helotes.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Texas rules apply in Alamo Heights, Leon Valley, Richmond, Sealy and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Alamo Heights page next. The same Texas rules apply there.
Have the most recent Northside ISD progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
